Is Donald Trump allowed to vote for himself in the election despite being a convicted felon?

Earlier this year, a jury found former president Donald Trump guilty in the criminal case surrounding the falsification of business records to cover up a hush money payment paid during the 2016 presidential election. The thirty-four felony counts were each campaign finance violation that forbade campaign funds from being used in such a manner and concealed.

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The tough-on-crime policies implemented by both Democrats and Republicans over the past fifty years have disenfranchised millions of Americans, preventing them from casting their votes. In 2022, The Sentencing Project estimated that approximately 4.4 million people would be unable to participate in the election, illustrating the significant impact such laws can have on election outcomes. While many individuals with felony convictions have had their voting rights restored through ballot measures and state legislation, many in Florida still face challenges in exercising their rights. Given that Donald Trump was recently convicted of a felony in a U.S. District Court, could he encounter difficulties voting this November? Let’s examine the facts.

In 2018, a ballot measure in Florida changed state law to extend voting rights to those convicted of a felony. So, while in prison, one cannot vote, and the right is only returned once the sentence, any probation or parole have been served, and any fines or fees have been paid. In 2022, the disqualification of voters led to very tragic scenes where voters who believed their rights had been restored registered and voted, not knowing they still owed fines to the state. Videos of arrests circulated online, and the emotional scenes led many to see the flaws in how the ballot measure was written.

Will Trump be able to vote?

The situation is a bit more complicated for Trump because we do not know if he will face prison. However, he plans to appeal the court’s ruling even if he is given prison time. The Florida Assistant Attorney General, Patricia R. Gleason, clarified that “until the appellate courts have finally affirmed the lower country’s judgment,” the “conviction does not become final.” The same applies to fines that must be paid for the rights to be returned. This means that Donald Trump will be protected by the notoriously long appeals process that plagues the US court system and not see his voting rights infringed this fall. The former president will cast his ballot on election day.